Breathing. It's natural and automatic, governed by part of the brain that cares for bodily functions which may seem beyond our conscious control. It just happens... so why think about breathing?
#1: Breathing meditation is a powerful tool to help you become more aware of your body and state of mind.
Becoming aware of how you are breathing is profoundly important for anyone looking to deepen the relationship between mind and body. The fact that you don't NEED to think about breathing means that often we are unaware of the myriad ways it affects our state in every moment of life.
#2: Breathwork is the foundation of many practices like yoga and martial arts... and often overlooked.
Have you heard the sound of a sharp exhale or yell during martial arts? If you've attended a yoga class you've likely heard the exaggerated in and out breath sounds, or joined in a few "OM" chants. That's breathwork in action. In all of these common examples one thing is obvious but may be easily disregarded because the sounds seem to be the point... but the sound is a by-product of emphasis on the breath.
The first style of meditation I learned was focused on breathing. I still use it often and find it helpful to revisit even after many years. It can be practiced by anyone, anywhere and only has two basic steps.
Step One: Start with abdominal breathing. Make sure that no matter your position, you can let your abdomen move freely. Try to keep your chest still as you get started, and as you breathe in let your belly expand. As you exhale move your navel back towards your spine. Spend a few breaths feeling that movement. Breathe at a normal pace, but your breath rate will naturally slow down as you practice more abdominal breathing. Once this feels natural, add chest movement. Expand the abdomen first, then let the ribs take the breath further...last thing to move should be the collar bones. Reverse the order as you exhale. Practice this if it feels awkward, it won't take long and you can slip into this type of breathing smoothly and naturally. Take the time to feel your body move with each inhale and exhale.
Step Two: Once you are filling your entire lung space with breathing you will naturally feel more calmness. If you want to take it a step further, try triphasic breathing. This is following a count for three parts of the breath. Try breathing in for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 4 seconds and breathing out for four seconds. You can do this many different ways, extending the exhale for as long as 8 or 16 counts. If you get dizzy at any point take a break, you may need to get used to elevated levels of oxygen coming into your blood through your lungs. Don't worry if you start yawning, that's also a natural function of your body to process bringing in more oxygen and release excess carbon dioxide.
If the counting is distracting or stressful, don't worry about that...just breathe deeply as in step one and try to let go of thinking in words. Instead of thinking about a count or even saying "in" and "out " to yourself focus on feeling the breath come in and out. The sensation of the breath moving is the most calming part for me, but focusing entirely on this can take some practice. It is normal to notice things that weren't apparent before, like a clock ticking or humming of a fan. Try not to get wrapped up in emptying your mind of any distractions because fighting or making sense of things is just creating more word attachments to thinking in your mind. Notice and then let go of thoughts as they come. Sometimes I visualize a leaf floating by in a stream and connect my thought to that. I let it float by on the leaf and allow it to float right by without trying to take it from the water. Clouds are another way to visualize thoughts during this type of practice, notice them and then allow them to drift away.
Doing this for even a few minutes can improve your mental and physical well being, and over time can be a type of preventative medicine. I hope you take some time to breathe and see the benefits for yourself!
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